Microphone for sound dispatching station



J. L. BONANNO MICROPHONE FOR SOUND DISPATCHING STATION Feb. 6, 19623,020,346

Filed Deo. 9, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNvENToR ATTORNEYS Feb. 6, 1962 J,BONANNO 3,020,346

MICROPHONE FOR SOUND DISPATCHING STATION Filed Dec. 9, 1957 2Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTO NEYS United States Patent Oiihce n spaans PatentedFeb. 6, 1962 3,020,346 MICROPHONE FOR SOUND DSPATCHING STATION .losephL. Bonanno, South Orange, NJ., assignor to I he Lionel Corporation, NewYork, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 9, 1957, Ser. No.701,466 4 Claims. (Cl. 179-2) This invention relates to model railwaysand more particularly to dispatching station control equipment therefor.

It is an object of the present invention to provide dispatching stationequipment for model railways that will enable the operator to speak intoa hand microphone for broadcasting over a built in speaker of adispatching station.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hand microphonehaving built in circuit control contacts for selectively controlling themovement of trains andthe broadcasting of train information to adispatching station.

Another object of the present invention is t-o provide -a handmicrophone of the above type having a novel contact plate supportedtherewithin for separately mounting the contacts of different controlcircuits in proper relationship for actuation by externally movablecontrol members.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a hand microphone bearingthe above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has laminimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and edicient inoperation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention,reference may be had to the `following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view, with the cover plate removed, of a controlunit made in `accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse cross sectional viewy taken along line 2--2 ofFGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along line 3-3 ofFIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical contactsforming a part of the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse cross sectional View taken along line 5-5 ofFIGURE l;

FIGURE 6 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along line 6 6 ofFIGURE l; and

FIGURE 7 is a transverse cross sectional View taken along line 7--7 ofFIGURE l.

In accordance with this invention, a hand `control unit and portablemicrophone for model railways `has been provided that is extremelyauthentic in appearance and eective for the purposes described.

Referring now more in detail t-o the drawing, a hand microphone 10 madein accordance with the present invention is shown to include a basemember 12 deiinin-g a housing 13 that is adapted to receive and rigidlysupport a carbon granule type microphone unit 15. A cover plate 17having grille work 18 is releasably secured, such as by bolts 51extending through aligned bolt posts 50 to the base portion 12.

Within the handle portion of the unit 10, a switch or contact plate 20is secured by means of a bolt 21. The outermost end of this switch plateor contact plate 20' is provided with a clamp 22 for securing theadjacent end of a wire conduit 24 thereto. A iirst set of contact plates25, 26 are carried upon a perpendicularly extending mounting plate 28 ofthe bracket Ztl, insulated from each yo'ther and from the bracket byvmeans of insulation 27, :and secured in assembled relationship by meansof rivets .29. Each of these contact plates 25, 26 at the opposite endis provided with electric contact points 46, 47, respectively, which arein a normally closed circuit relationship. One pair of wires 23 areelectrically connected to this first set of contact plates 25, 26. Toanother mounting plate 32 of the bracket 20, the contact plate 31 ofanother control circuit is connected by means of rivets 34 andinsulation 33. The other set of wires 30 is connected, one to thecontact plate 3l and the other to the terminal plate 36 of the bracket20. A spring 37 is electrically connected to the terminal plate 36 atone end to a contact 38 on the microphone 15 on the opposite end. Acontact point 42 carried at the outer end of the contact plate 31 is 'ina normally circuit open relationship with the conductor rim of themicrophone 15 for reciprocating movement into and out of circuit closedrelationship therewith to energize the microphone circuit.

A pair of manually operable pressure buttons 46, 44 are slidablysupported at opposite sides of the unit lfor reciprocating movement intoand out of the housing for actuating the respective control contacts.One button 4l) controls the movement or" the contact point 42 of thecontact bar 31 into circuit closed engagement with the microphone 15,such button 4d normally being contained in the circuit open position bythe spring action of the bar or plate 31. The other button 44 isassociated lwith the terminal free end of the main plate 25 of the otherset of contacts for movement toward a yieldable cushion 4S. vIn responseto the exertion of additional pressure against the cushion 48, thebutton 44 will liex the main terminal plate 25 a greater amount than thenormal return movement of the smaller plate 26 so `as to urge thecontact point 46 out of engagement with the associated Contact point 47to open the control circuit through the wires 23. The opening andclosing of these contacts is suicient to control the starting, stopping,and reversing of the model railway locomotive motors, as is Well knownto those skilled in the art.

In accordance with the invention, the microphone 15 is of inexpensivebut highly eflicient construction, particularly adapted for a toyrailroad. It includes a molded substantially dish-shaped housing 52 ofplastic, or similar material, provided with a central elliptical cavity53 which is filled with the usual sound actuable material such as carbongranules 54. The cavity 53 is sealed at one end by a removable press-titll plug 56. An annular conducting member 58 is positioned around thecavity 53 and is provided with an extending portion 60 which extendsoutwardly through an aperature in the molded housing 52 and forms aportion of the contact 38.

The housing 52 is filled with pads of acoustic dampening material 62which extend into contact with laterally extending portions 64 of thecarbon granules. The carbon granules are retained in the cavity 'by asemi-elliptical insulated cover or cap member 66. A frustoconicaldiaphragm 68, a portion of the acoustic material 62, and the laterallyextending portions of the granules 54 are covered by an intermediateconducting element 70. The intermediate conducting element 70 isanchored to the lower periphery of the cap 66 beneath and in contactwith an inner annular portion 72 of the diaphragm 68. The diaphragm 68also has an outer annular portion 74 which is maintained in contact withthe acoustic material 62. A conductive cover plate 7 8 having annularside rims Sil is positioned on the housing 52 with the rims extendingaround the housing ends, to clamp the cover and the diaphragm 68 inposition. The diapragh 68 has a very small hole therein, at the portion74, coupling the acoustic material chamber and the cavity between thecover plate 78 and the diaphragm. The side rim Si) is engaged by thecontact 4Z when the control button 46 is pushed through a microphoneenergizing position. Sound acting on the diaphragm 68, when the latteris energized through the contact 42 andthe rim `80, ltransmits thevibration through the granules 54 to the conducting element 58 in theform of electrical impulses.

In actual use, it is only necessary to depress the one button 40 toclose the circuit through the carbon granule microphone to permit thevoice of the operator to be broadcast through an associated speaker. Onthe other hand, the other button 44 may be simultaneously orindependently depressed to control the movement of the model railway`train located on the associated trackway. It will be noted that all ofthe parts of the present device are readily accessible for repair andreplacement purposes, whereby a compact and efficient hand control unitfor model railways has been provided.

While the various changes may made in the detail construction, it shallbe understood that such chan es shall be within the spirit and scope ofthe present invention as dened by the appended claims.

What l claim as new and desire t0 protect by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

l. In va combination microphone and toy railway control unit for modelrailway trains including, acontrol circuit for operating trains on apower track and a microphone control circuit for connecting saidmicrophone to an electrical current supply, the improvement comprising ahousing having a hollow hand grip portion and an enlargedV hollowmicrophone receiving portion, said control circuit including a xedcontact member and a resilient contact member normally in engagementtherewith for closing said control circuit, said microphone controlcircuit including a microphone conductive rim contact portion and aresilient contact member in normally open relation with said rim contactpor-tion, control `circuit reciprocable button means biased in anoutward direction by said control circuit resilient Contact member,microphone control circuit reciprocable button means biased in anoutward direction by said microphone control circuit resilient contactrnem-ber, said irst mentioned button means being manually actuable in aninward direction to open said train operating control circuit and saidsecond mentioned button means being manually actuable in an inwarddirection to close said microphone operating control circuit.

2. Apparatus according to claim l, wherein said control circuitreciprocable button means and said microphone control circuit buttonmeans are in axial alignment and are located on opposite sides of saidhousing hollow hand grip portion.

3. Apparatus according to claim l, including a contact support brackethaving a pair of bent tab portions, and electrical isolating supportmeans securing said control circuit fixed contact member and saidcontrol circuit resilient contact member to one of said tab portions andsecuring said microphone control circuit resilient contact to said othertab portion.

4. A hand microphone assembly for a toy railway dispatching stationcomprising, a housing having a hollow hand grip portion and an enlargedhollow microphone receiving portion, a microphone mounted within saidreceiving portion, said microphone including a container of soundactuable variable resistance material, a iirst conductive element incontact with a portion of said sound actuable variable resistancematerial, a conductive rim portion about said microphone electricallyconnected to said lirst conductive element, a second conductive elementin contact with another portion of said sound actua- `ble variableresistance material, a resilient leai` springv contact fastened at oneend to said housing and extending intov said microphone receivingportion in proximity with said conductive rim portion, reciprocablebutton means formoving the other end of said leaf Aspring intocontacting relation with said conductive rim portion, said resilientleaf spring contact biasing said reciprocable button means away fromsaid rim portion into an unoperative position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,066,022 Weidenman Dec. 29,- 1936 2,138,878 Phinney Dec. 6, 19382,191,992 MCLOrn Feb. 27, 1940 2,221,963 Case et al Nov. 19, 19402,409,520 Thompson Oct.l l5, 1946 2,435,920V Burroughs Feb. 10, 19482,611,042 Napoli sept. 16, 1952 2,679,600 Bonanno May 25, 1954 2,697,136Baker et al. Dec. 14, 1954 2,709,723 Breisch et al May 3l, 19552,787,675 Meshirer Apr. 2, 1957 2,799,733 La Forest et al July 16, 1957FOREIGN PATENTS 112,237 Australia Dec. 23, 1940

